By Tom White

With high-profile motorcycle auctions, classic bike shows and eBay hawking every old bike on the planet, investors are not just snapping up the best bikes, they are also raising the prices of the “not best” bikes at the same time. I know this firsthand, because my museum, The Early Years of Motocross Museum, has over 140 of these machines from the earliest years of our sport. The majority of the motorcycles in my collection were manufactured between 1965 and 1974. I consider these years the most collectible because of the lower production numbers and the uniqueness of each brand. If you want to be a collector, I’m here to help. Here is bike number eight on my list of the 10 most collectible motocross machines. This list isn’t necessarily the 10 most expensive classic bikes you can buy, but they are the foundation of a great collection. I have included the approximate value of each machine, but condition and provenance can raise or lower the prices significantly. No bike is as quickly recognized as the CZ twin-pipe—which is why it is number eight on my list.

NUMBER EIGHT: 1965 CZ250 TWIN PORT

The twin-port 250 was a replica of CZ’s factory works GP bike. In 1964, Belgian Joel Robert, riding a production twin-port 250, won the 250cc World Championship.

The next year, Russian rider Viktor Arbekov echoed Robert’s 1964 title win to elevate CZ to the high ground that Husqvarna’s Torsten Hallman had previously enjoyed.

This example was purportedly restored by Joel Robert’s factory mechanic. When buying a CZ, caveat emptor, as the history of the Czech motorcycle can be sketchy. Estimated value: $14,000.

Stay tuned next week for Friday’s bike #9.